Frequently Asked Questions

Q1: Upon graduation from the University of Hong Kong with the Master Degree in Urban Planning, I was hired by a planning firm in Mainland China and have been working there for several years. Can I join HKIP as Full Member?

A1: Clause 48 of the By-law states that the Applicant should have acquired not less than 1 year of practical experience in Hong Kong town planning work after conferment of the degree/diploma in town planning or after obtaining recognized professional membership from a Town Planning Institute. Such experience shall have been gained within the last 5 years before the application for Full Membership is made. Many unsuccessful Applicants in the past have cited experience preceding the 5 years which had to be disregarded by the Membership Board.

Q2: Who should I ask to sign my application form as Supporter and Proposer?

A2: You can ask any HKIP Full / Fellow /Retired Members to be your Supporter and Proposer. However, you should avoid asking the current Council Members and Membership Board Members to sign as your Supporter or Proposer as there will be potential conflict of interest. The names of the current Council Members and Membership Board Members can be found on the HKIP website: www.hkip.org.hk

Q3: Who should I ask to be my Corroborator?

A3: Your Corroborator(s) does/do not necessarily need to be a town planner but you would need to have co-worked with him/her for professional experience that you include in your application. It is only acceptable to ask current Council Members or Membership Board Members to sign as Corroborators if there is a direct working relationship.

Q4: I want to join HKIP as Student Member but I don’t know anyone in the field who can be my Supporter and Proposer. What can I do?

A4: Don’t worry! You can always approach HKIP for help. The Honorary Secretary and any Council Members can be your Supporter and Proposer for your membership application.

Q5: One of the projects I worked for actually lasted for 1 year. Do I put down the same amount of time under the “Actual Time Spent” column?

A5: The project itself may have straddled a long period. Applicants should fill in only his/her actual involvement (full time equivalent time spent) in the project under the “Actual Time Spent” column of the Statement of Experience form (Form HP2A). Idling time of the projects should be discounted.

Q6: What if the experience I acquired from one project actually fall into more than one field listed under “Category of Practical Planning Experience”?

A6: This situation is very common for many Applicants. You should carefully list out the types of work undertaken in each category for that one project and calculate the amount of time engaged in each type of work concerned. No double counting of experience pertaining to one project will be accepted. Please bear in mind that each category of experience should cover a period of not less than 6 months. You may consult your Proposer, Supporter or Corroborator if you encounter difficulties in fairly assessing your experience.

Q7: How can I differentiate between “Development Planning” and “Development Control and Enforcement”?

A7: “Development Planning” generally covers a more comprehensive process, say from site selection, change of land use zoning to facilitate the development, and a wider context and/or work scope than just for the site itself, whereas “Development Control and Enforcement” pertains more to the work of planners within the Government, for example, vetting of planning applications and stipulating development restrictions on statutory zoning plans etc.

Q8: I use GIS application at work all the time. Can I put that down as one of the areas of specialization in the Statement of Experience form?

A8: The use of GISis regarded as a tool among various other planning tools/techniques whereas only the development of GIS for planning-related applications can be regarded as an area of specialization.